𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥'𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 | 𝟏𝟖+

33

I talk to Penny every day, tell her about my day, about how much I miss her. But it's not the same and it'll never be the same. It's been two months, twelve days, and two hours since I held my baby girl in my arms. And every single day, it still feels like I'm drowning.

The only thing keeping me going is Damien. But now, after losing Penny... I'm terrified of losing him too. I follow him everywhere he goes. I can't bear to let him out of my sight, I can't shake the fear that if I do, he'll be ripped away from me just like she was.

I even sleep with a loaded gun under my pillow. It's the only way I can close my eyes without seeing Penny's pale face, or Damien dying right in front of me.

I'm curled up on Damien's lap while he's on the phone, discussing business. Something about his guys blowing up one of the Ramirez cartel's coke farms, taking out a whole shipment in the process. Any other day, I'd be right there eager to ruin those fuckers' lives.

But right now, all I can think about is Lymon. He's still breathing while my daughter lies cold, in the ground. It's not right and it's not fucking fair.

As soon as Damien ends the call, I look up at him, my eyes hard and my voice flat. "Where's Lymon?"

Damien sighs heavily, his hand coming up to rub at his stubbled jaw. "My old man's taking care of him right now, baby. Making him suffer, believe me."

"It's my turn," I say simply.

Damien's quiet for a moment, his arms tightening around me as he kisses my hair. "Okay, let's go" he murmurs roughly.

I'm going to make him pay for every scream, every tear, and every drop of blood he spilled.

We pull up to Luis's compound. Damien takes my hand as we head inside. Luis greets us at the door and surprisingly he has nothing smart to say. He leads us down to the basement, where they've been keeping Lymon. With each step, rage builds inside me.

And then I see him. He's chained to the wall, slumped over and unconscious. But even in the dim light, I can see he's in rough shape. His face is a mess of bruises and cuts, visibly skinnier from months of starvation.

Damien leans in close, his breath hot against my ear. "I made sure dad followed your orders," he murmurs. "That piece of shit knows what it's like to starve now, just like our Penny did."

I can't help the vicious smile that spreads across my face at his words. Good. Fucking good. It's nothing compared to what he did to my girl.

"Wake up, asshole," I spit, watching with cold eyes as Lymon jolts awake. The moment his gaze lands on me, he recoils in terror, his chains rattling as he tries to shrink back against the wall.

"No, no, please," he babbles, his voice hoarse and ragged. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Catherine, please, I'll repent, I'll do anything, just don't-"

"Shut the fuck up," I snap, cutting off his pathetic pleas. "You don't get to beg, not after what you did."

Lymon's eyes frantically dart around the room like a trapped animal. "I didn't... I didn't want to, I swear! I was just following orders! Alonzo, he- he paid me, threatened me, to kill Penny, said he wanted to make you pay for whatever you did to his brother..."

I freeze, my blood turning to ice in my veins. Slowly, I turn to Damien. "Who the fuck is Alonzo?"

Damien's jaw clenches, his fists balling up at his sides. "Alonzo Ramirez. The new head of the cartel, he took over after you killed their leader."

The pieces click into place. This was never just about Lymon's twisted revenge. This was a calculated move, orchestrated by the same bastards who ripped my world apart and killed my other child.